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Graphic Design

Types of Degrees Graphic Design Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Graphic Design can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	955
Associate’s Degree	2,095
Bachelor’s Degree	5,829
Master’s Degree	1,793

What Graphic Design Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Graphic Design emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Graphic Design graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Graphic Design emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Fine Arts — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.8 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Communications and Media — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set built by a Graphic Design program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Active Learning — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Graphic Design careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Originality — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Graphic Design graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Thinking Creatively	4.9 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.5 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.3 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.3 / 7
Working with Computers	4.2 / 7
Getting Information	4.1 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.1 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.1 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.0 / 7
Coaching and Developing Others	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Graphic Design professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
PHP	Web platform development software	—
Adobe After Effects	Video creation and editing software	✓
Adobe Illustrator	Graphics or photo imaging software	✓
Hypertext markup language HTML	Web platform development software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Adobe Creative Cloud software	Graphics or photo imaging software	✓
JavaScript	Web platform development software	✓
Adobe Photoshop	Graphics or photo imaging software	✓
Adobe InDesign	Desktop publishing software	✓
Adobe Dreamweaver	Web page creation and editing software	—
Cascading style sheets CSS	Web platform development software	✓

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Graphic Design graduates include:

• Adjunct Music Instructor
• Dramatic Art Teacher
• Media Arts Professor
• Voice Teacher
• Dance Professor
• Piano Professor
• Dance Instructor
• Ballet Professor
• Stagecraft Professor
• Ceramics Teacher
• Associate Professor
• Art Educator
• Music Instructor
• Drama Teacher
• Adjunct Professor

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Graphic Design graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	33.6%
Bachelor’s degree	31.9%
Doctoral degree	19.7%
High school diploma or equivalent	5.1%
Some college courses	3.4%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	3.4%
Less than a high school diploma	1.3%
Post-master’s certificate	1.0%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	0.7%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Graphic Design?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 65% of Graphic Design degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	6,941	65.0%
Men	3,735	35.0%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Graphic Design graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	5,391	50.5%
Asian	790	7.4%
Hispanic or Latino	2,370	22.2%
Black or African American	782	7.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native	71	0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	18	0.2%
Two or More Races	434	4.1%
Race Unknown	390	3.7%
International Students	430	4.0%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Graphic Design Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Graphic Design graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$32,054
4 years	$41,389
5 years	$46,982

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $46,982 — roughly 47% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Graphic Design Programs

Distance learning is tracked by IPEDS for Graphic Design. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	16	15
Bachelor’s	11	16
Master’s	1	0

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Graphic Design Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Graphic Design graduates earn a median of $41,389 four years after completion — roughly 9% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Design and Applied Arts	50.04
Commercial and Advertising Art	50.0402
Commercial Photography	50.0406
Design and Applied Arts, Other	50.0499
Design and Visual Communications, General	50.0401
Fashion/Apparel Design	50.0407
Game and Interactive Media Design	50.0411
Illustration	50.0410
Industrial and Product Design	50.0404
Interior Design	50.0408
Digital Arts	50.0102
Intermedia/Multimedia	50.0706

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.